Rolling Government Ads Tell Illegal Immigrants to Go Back to Where They Came From

The Home Office is funding a bizarre scheme to get illegal immigrants out of the country, driving a big van around London that offers a handy helpline number people can text for tips if they'd like to get the hell out of the UK. And they'll even get free flights home.

The scheme encourages people who think they perhaps shouldn't be in the country to text in for advice, with the Home Office able to organise a new, official passport if one's needed to get back to their own countries. The vans will be appearing on the streets of the Hounslow, Barking & Dagenham, Ealing, Barnet, Brent and Redbridge council areas of London.

The Home Office says some 200,000 people may be staying here illegally thanks to expired visas, and it's cheaper to just whack them on a plane than hunt them down and push them through the court system. [ITV News via Daily Mail]